Pickpocket

Michel is a pickpocket in Paris, perfecting his technique every day to become an artist in his trade. Like Raskolnikov in Dostoyevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment", he is convinced that certain people have the right to disobey the law. He puts forward this thesis both to the detective inspector who suspects him and to Jeanne, whose love he initially does not return. Bresson's rigorous staging, achieved through reduction and concentration, had a formative influence on a wide range of directors. The film also became famous for its artistic montage. The highlight is a train station scene, in which several thieves work together - a virtuoso ballet of grasping and reaching hands, moving, and disappearing objects. (bik)